A lightweight, local-first developer workspace for notes, terminal workflows, and structured thinking.
Notes. Files. Terminal. One workspace.
Bismuth is a minimal but powerful desktop application designed for structured note-taking, workspace organization, and developer productivity.
It combines:
- Markdown-based notes
- Workspace-based file organization
- A terminal-ready environment
- Fast, local filesystem-first architecture
The goal is to provide a clean, distraction-free environment for developers and technical users who want full control over their data.
A filesystem-native workspace for developers who prefer convenience and control
- Markdown note editor (vanilla JS prototype)
- Collapsible sidebar navigation
- Dark / Light mode support
- Basic workspace UI structure
- Clean, minimal UI layout
- Tauri integration (completed shell migration)
- Workspace CRUD operations
- Note persistence (filesystem-based)
- PTY terminal integration
- File tree explorer
- Graph view (note linking visualization)
- Export system (PDF / Markdown / HTML)
- Advanced workspace management
- Search indexing
Bismuth follows a local-first filesystem-based design.
Workspace/ ├── notes/ ├── assets/ └── exports/
Each workspace is a self-contained directory on the user’s machine.
- Frontend: React
- Desktop Runtime: Tauri
- Backend: Rust (filesystem + process management)
- Terminal: PTY integration (xterm.js + backend bridge planned)
- Local-first (no cloud dependency)
- User owns all data
- Minimal overhead
- Fast startup & performance-focused
- Extensible architecture for developer workflows
Most note-taking apps are either:
- Too heavy and cloud-dependent
- Too simple and not developer-friendly
- Locked into proprietary ecosystems
Bismuth aims to sit in between:
A developer workspace where notes, files, and terminal workflows coexist.
On Linux you'll also need:
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelfOn Windows:
- Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools — select "Desktop development with C++" workload
- WebView2 is pre-installed on Windows 10/11. If missing: download here
# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/CBYeuler/Bismuth.git
cd Bismuth-main
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode
npm run tauri devnpm run tauri buildBismuth/
├── src/
│ ├── App.jsx
│ ├── index.css
│ ├── main.jsx
│ ├── assets/
│ ├── components/
│ ├── lib/
│ ├── pages/
│ └── context/
│
└── src-tauri/ # Tauri / Rust backend
├── src/
│ ├── main.rs
│ ├── lib.rs # Cargo lib entry point
│ └── ....
├── Cargo.toml
└── tauri.conf.json
src-tauri/src/
├── main.rs
├── lib.rs
├── commands/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ ├── workspace.rs
│ ├── notes.rs
│ ├── filesystem.rs
│ └── terminal.rs
├── models/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ ├── workspace.rs
│ ├── note.rs
│ └── response.rs
├── services/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ ├── workspace_service.rs
│ ├── note_service.rs
│ ├── filesystem_service.rs
│ └── terminal_service.rs
├── utils/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ ├── error.rs
│ ├── path.rs
│ └── config.rs
└── build.rs
- Vanilla JS UI prototype
- Tauri migration
- Workspace CRUD
- Note persistence
- PTY terminal
- File tree explorer
- Graph view
- Export system
This project is currently in early development. Contributions, ideas, and feedback are welcome once the core architecture stabilizes.
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
See the full license text in the LICENSE file.
Early-stage active development — architecture evolving rapidly.